Apparently not according to the "science" people at our university,
particularly the chemistry dept.
Our annual students research fair is today, and I have a group of
students presenting a poster on research they did in a lab class
with me.
Imagine my consternation when my students' poster was in a back
section labelled "NON-SCIENCE PRESENTATIONS"
Well, I sought out the person who had arranged and categorized the
presentations and asked her what's with psychology being a "Non-Science"
and she told me, "Well, what is it then? It's clearly not a science."
and then _horrors_ she went on to say, "Well, when I took psychology
in school it was just one of those classes that had nothing to do with
anything." I mean, I felt so insulted and so denigrated and stepped
on by this "chemistry, SCIENCE" person.
I realize now that this is just her ignorance coming through. I
realize she needs education, but the sad part is that she doesn't
even know that she is ignorant and in need of education.
Needless to say, and here I sit embarassed and upset, I went off
like a roman candle LITERALLY. I couldn't contain myself--after all
the hard, hard, hard work we all do to convince our students that
psychology is a science here is a faculty member, a relatively young
faculty member, who should have been schooled relatively recently,
telling me that psychology can't be categorized in the 'science'
category.
Deep breath. Maybe I'm making too much of this.
What would or what do the rest of you do when this comes up--and
please don't tell me you go off like a roman candle because I don't
feel like that was very effective--I think I just made an enemy instead
of a convert. Dang my fiery nature.
Annette Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of Psychology E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
University of San Diego Voice: (619) 260-4006
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
"Education is one of the few things a person
is willing to pay for and not get."
-- W. L. Bryan
